


Under the mask

by DameMond



Category: Bravely Default (Video Game) & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, I am in for dancing couples especially when masked, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 14:36:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6198877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DameMond/pseuds/DameMond
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An Eternial royal ball to lift the spirits of the people in times of war.<br/>The scion of a noble family and a masked traitor with a wolfish grin.<br/>A last dance... maybe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Under the mask

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this waaaay before the game came out in Europe, so Janne might look a bit softer than he usually is. Yet again, surrounded by all the people and with Yew... He might lower his guard a bit, especially if they're in private.

The mask felt heavy on Yew’s face as he tried to walk through the twirling couples in the ballroom. Edea, the hostess among her father, was dancing rather energetically with a flustered Tiz as Magnolia held up Yew’s pendant, showing the scenery to a laughing Agnès. She deserved to be there as much as they did, almost throwing a fit when Edea wanted to delay the royal ball for until they got Agnès back. However, the Pope retorted saying that the people needed this way more than she did and so, Edea gave in to her wishes. Not without making sure she could at least see the party, though.  
  
Yew was rather tired from dancing with Magnolia, and by her pose, she looked as tired. She’d been leading him most of the night, too, and he only wanted to sit down for a bit.  As he was making his way towards their table, a light tap on his shoulder got his attention. It could be a noble lady wanting to ask for a dance, though he was sure he had politely refused most of them already, giving them a gentle smile at their frowns when he refused.  
  
Instead, bowing, there was a man looking at him behind a black mask with its edges at the sides imitating feathers, dressed up in a long navy tailcoat with a vest of the same colour and lighter pants with boots. He was taller than him, his hair being a bit of a mess even when tied up in a ponytail…  
  
His hair had the colour of the night sky. Yew held his breath.  
  
The man was staring at Yew with his teal eyes, his gloved hand still extended at him.  
  
None was looking at them: they’d be just one more dancing couple in the dancefloor of the royal ballroom.  
  
With a quick, panicked look, Yew searched for Edea and Tiz at the opposite side of the dancefloor, right behind the “stranger”: they weren’t looking at his direction, just having fun in their area.  
  
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yew took the stranger’s gloved hand in his trembling one, brushing his green cape aside with the motion. The stranger did nothing, only looking at their hands until he pulled Yew further into the dancefloor and near a corner, hiding between puffy dresses and capes.  
  
Yew knew Janne would prefer a place where he could call less attention.  
  
A hand on his waist made Yew flinch.  
  
His skin burned, his entwined hand with Janne burned… wherever Janne brushed, it burned.  
  
Then, they moved, Yew following Janne’s firm lead with slow, hesitant steps: right, front, back, left, turn and repeat. There was none more in the room for Yew, only them.  
  
He swallowed again, trying not to look away from Janne’s eyes. Janne lifted his arm and Yew twirled under it, his hand never leaving Janne’s despite his trembling.  
  
Janne’s grip was firm, but never forceful.  
  
He followed again: right, front, back… he was too close.  
  
“Janne.”  
  
His face didn’t show any sign of hearing him, but Yew continued nevertheless, trying to calm himself down. His palms were sweaty already and he was thanking everything he was wearing gloves.  
  
Left.  
  
“Why are you here?”  
  
Turn.  
  
Right.  
  
Janne suddenly stepped forward, freezing Yew as he leaned over him. His hand was still entwined with Janne’s, his waist being held in a way he wasn’t able to move backwards anymore.  
  
“Because,” he whispered, “I just wanted to dance.”  
  
_Impossible_. Janne would never come _just to dance_ , a part of Yew’s mind said. The other wanted to believe him, badly. Janne wasn’t armed, after all. If the others took a good look at him, they’d easily recognize him.  
  
Was it worth the risk for him?  
  
Janne was never one to get unnecessary risks without gaining something.  
  
Then, why?  
  
Why was he here, in the Eternian ballroom, dressed like that and dancing with him?  
  
Him, out of all people?  
  
Janne started to lead once again as the piano melody kept playing. Yew followed, his body moving on its own and leaving his trail of thoughts abandoned.  
  
Did Janne have that effect on him?  
  
One step, two steps, three. Right, front, backwards and turn. His skin was burning wherever Janne touched, again.  
  
Yew felt dizzy: he’d been breathing heavily for a while, heart going too fast for him to handle.  
  
Janne stopped when Yew was unable to dance anymore. They were in the opposite side of the ballroom where his friends were, between a marble pillar and the wall.  
  
If they stabbed him there, none would see it.  
  
Yew’s mind raced in panic, but Janne only stared down, hand still entwined with his.  
  
It was pushing him over the edge: it was hard to breathe, hard to see and even harder to focus. Yew’s mind was unable to relax, filled with _“What will happen after this? Why is he here? Why me? Why? Why? What does this mean?_ ’, an infinite loop of questions for which he had no answer to neither the strength to ask the man in front of him.  
  
Yew’s mask had grown heavier for him.  
  
He needed to get out.  
  
He pulled his hand out of Janne’s, retreating from his grip as he forcefully pushed his way through a few couples that narrowed their eyes at him due to his "rudeness", but Yew couldn’t care less at the moment, giving only half-hearted apologies as he ran to the empty balcony.  
  
It was too cold outside in Eternia at night. No wonder none was out.  
  
He leaned over the stone balustrade, feeling his stomach jump as he looked down. He immediately regretted his decision, the cold sweat making his current situation worse than it already was.  
  
“Crystals…”  
  
He couldn’t take it.  
  
He’d always admired Janne: stronger, taller, more capable and more fit of a leader than him in his mind, just that he’d always been a bit more impulsive… and had an important lack of manners.  
  
Yew almost laughed at where his thoughts were going, thinking of Janne in a friendly way when they should be crossing swords to death.  
  
The sound of steps on marble echoed behind him, but he didn’t have to turn around to know who would follow him through everything and everyone right now.  
  
“Janne.”  
  
The sound stopped and Yew could’ve sworn he’d hear a sigh behind him.  
  
“You ran off.”  
  
It’d been too long since he’d heard Janne’s voice as calm as now.  
  
“I was getting dizzy in there.”  
  
“My fault, probably.”  
  
Yew heard the hint of a smirk in Janne’s tone.

 _Why?_  
  
Why was he acting like that after all their encounters? After saying they’d have to fight to the death?  
  
_Why?_  
  
_Crystals, why this torture?_  
  
His hand hurt from gripping the balustrade and he hadn’t even realized. A gust of chilly air made him get goosebumps even under his layers of formal clothing and the cape.  
  
Though the air only had a small part on it.  
  
Janne, still masked and in his tailcoat, walked up to his side, resting his arms on the balustrade as he looked up to the night sky… too bad it was covered by clouds.  
  
Dark blue covered by grey.  
  
Yuu laughed at his mind for coming up with such comparison right now, out of all moments.  
  
“Hey, Yew.”  
  
He turned towards Janne automatically.  
  
“... Yes?”  
  
“Been a while.”  
  
Really? A bitter laugh escaped from Yew’s lips before shivering at the cold. There was a ruffling sound at his right and a foreign warmth enveloped his back and shoulders. The smell was familiar, too… Janne had given his coat to him.  
  
Funny sight, considering Yew himself was covered with a cape, but since Janne’s body was slightly broader than his, it kind of fit him. He pulled it tighter around his form, avoiding looking at his old... friend.  
  
“You danced with me.”  
  
Yew turned towards him and narrowed his eyes behind his own mask.  
  
“Yes, well, you asked for a dance.”  
  
“And you gave it to me.” Silence. “You should’ve run.”  
  
Yew bit his lower lip. Yes, he should have. He should have done so.  
  
It wouldn’t hurt now if he’d run away from Janne the very first second he saw him.  
  
He sighed, closing his eyes and letting his head hang down. “But I didn’t.”  
  
“… You didn’t.”  
  
_Stop it, stop this game._  
  
“For Crystals’ sake, Janne!” Yew suddenly turned towards him, unable to handle the pressure in his chest whenever he heard Janne’s voice near him. The silence was killing him. “What do you want? Why are you here? Are you going to laugh at my face that I went with you instead of running to get reinforcements or what?!”  
  
Janne seemed to hesitate, looking down. “No. I…” The music still echoed from behind the ballroom, the people inside didn’t seem to notice he was gone or outside with a stranger, for that matter. “I just wanted to dance.”  
  
“… Just dance?” Yew was aware of how vulnerable he was being at the moment, but he couldn’t help it. Part of him still opened its arms to Janne no matter where they were. “No tricks or swords? No ambushes?”  
  
“Nothing of it. I came alone. My weapons and Empire attire are hidden somewhere else, I’ll change once I leave.” There was a shrug, though that didn’t set Yew's mind at ease. Still skeptical.  
  
“Dance in an Eternian ball? Is that really all that there’s to this?”  
  
“Not 'dance in an Eternian ball'. Just dance with you.”  
  
Janne’s bluntness could be like a slap to the face sometimes.  
  
“… Me?”  
  
“Remember when we were in Al-Khampis, Yew?”  
  
He remembered. He always remembered, wondering why he couldn’t have done more for Janne, why couldn’t he have seen his pain under the surface he showed to everyone surrounding him.  
Yew sometimes wondered if there was something he could have done to keep Janne by his side as they grew in Al-Khampis; if there was something he could have done to avoid Janne joining the Empire as both grew up together.  
  
He asked himself that question every night.  
  
“Sometimes I recall some things, yes.”  
  
There was a pause in which Yew seriously wondered if Janne could read his mind. “Remember when we used to wonder what we would do when we were older?”  
  
Janne had his arms crossed across his chest. Yew hated to admit the vest and pants with the boots suited him quite nicely. “Uh… yeah. I said I wanted to travel around Luxendarc: visit villages, palaces, see the monsters and wild animals, see their customs and festivals...”  
  
“Do you remember what I told you?”  
  
“Nn… You said you wanted to try all the food and learn all the fighting techniques you could… And dance in a party or a festival with someone.” A peek at Janne showed he was shaking his shoulders lightly in laughter. Good signal, maybe. Yew let out a breath he didn’t remember he’d been holding.  
  
“So you remember.”  
  
Yew tried to shrug it off. “Sometimes I think about it.”  
  
A deep breath from Janne.  
  
“Then you told me I’d need someone to dance with in all of them.”  
  
“Indeed you do.”  
  
Janne snickered, slapping the tension away from them. More comfortable, Yew pulled the tailcoat around him, covering his arms.  
  
“Finally, you told me if I ever needed anyone for a ball while traveling, you’d come to me and pull me to dance.”  
  
“I never thought you liked dancing that much.”  
  
Janne narrowed his eyes at Yew from behind the mask, but the corner of his lips going up betrayed his attempt of a frowny expression. “I actually didn’t mind. I never understood why some people preferred dancing with another person instead of doing it on their own. It’s easier, but I wanted to try it out with someone to see how it felt... I never participated in Al-Khampis' festivities, let alone in Gathelatio considering I was living in the streets”  
  
The mask did a good job covering part of his expression, which frustrated Yew as he watched Janne’s profile looking up at the sky.  
  
This sure sounded like one of those clichéd moments Yew had read in most of his books. He wondered if this really was just an “experiment” for Janne, or a test, or... something.  
  
He could’ve picked someone else for it.  
  
“Why me?”  
  
“That is what I ask myself sometimes… I wanted a truce tonight for a couple of hours, on my own. None else knows I’m here.”  
  
He hadn’t turned once to face Yew as he spoke.  
  
Meanwhile, Yew had many things he wanted to say bubbling up, eating his mind alive. A gloved hand grabbed his, pulling a squeaking Yew into the middle of the balcony.  
  
Janne let him free before bowing, extending a hand towards him.  
  
“Dance with me?”  
  
And Yew took his hand, letting Janne entwine his fingers with his and put his hand on Yew’s waist, guiding his steps. Yew’s hand, now barely trembling, now rested on Janne’s shoulder.  
  
Right, front, left, back. Turn. Twirl.  
  
He loved the turns. He loved the twirls where Janne would just lift his hand and step away, leaving room for him to spin.  
  
He loved dancing with Janne.  
  
Janne guided him in every step and movement, which was surprising considering which one of the two grew in a noble household.  
  
A step to the right. They stopped, looking at each other.  
  
A step forward, Yew taking the initiative. Janne barely stepped backwards: both were too close.  
  
A step to the left: Janne’s grip tightened around his waist.  
  
A step backwards, Janne walking closer to him making Yew’s heart to jump up to his throat.  
  
A turn, spinning around each other.  
  
Janne lifted entwined hands and let Yew under them. This time, Yew couldn’t help the smile as he twirled. His world would be better if Janne was actually sitting there with them among Nikolai and the group, all of them going to rescue Agnès as soon as the sun rose despite Agnès protests about taking their sleep very seriously to avoid getting hurt.  
  
Yew eyed the ballroom, a bit nervous about any of his companions appearing and find him with… well, they had never seen Janne with his old hair colour, so perhaps he could dodge that one if he was careful enough.  
  
Right. Front.

“They told me,” Janne suddenly whispered, breaking Yew’s trail of thoughts, “that to fully enjoy a dance of two, I needed to do it with someone I enjoyed being with in the first place.”  
  
Back. Left.  
  
“So you came to me?”  
  
“Didn’t I do that back in Al-Khampis almost every day?”  
  
Turn.  
  
“And you’re doing it now, too?”  
  
Twirl.  
  
“Even now.”  
  
Yew stepped away from Janne.  
  
“Janne, we’re supposed to hate each other. You said you hated me-”  
  
“Do you want me to hate you?”  
  
“I thought you already did.”  
  
Janne bit his lower lip, mumbling what sounded like a curse.  
  
“I… thought this was a truce. Can we talk about something else?”  
  
Yew didn’t miss how he avoided the question, but he was right: a truce was a truce and Yew did want some peace time with him, though he didn’t want to admit it to the others. He’d probably get scolded about how the enemy was the enemy and how he’d been betrayed by him once.  
  
But they didn’t know Janne like he did.  
  
“Sure… Er, want to tell me how you learnt to dance this well?”  
  
Janne spun Yew around again.  
  
“Am I doing it well?”  
  
“You could blend in with nobility quite nicely.”

The taller man snickered at that. “Not interested. But I’ve been watching the ball for a while now, so I guess I picked up some movements.”  
  
“You were always a fast learner.”  
  
Yew saw Janne scoff, though once again he didn't miss the small smile on his lips.  
  
The music was over and the ballroom exploded with the cheers and claps from the guests for the musicians. The room slowly started to fill with the noise of idle chatter, covering the soft melody the orchestra was playing to keep the formal atmosphere.  
  
“I should leave.”  
  
Yew gripped Janne's sleeve before he could register what he was doing.  
  
“No, wait, not yet, please.”  
  
Janne hesitated, shifting his weight from one leg to the other. After a few seconds that looked like an eternity to Yew, he nodded. “Just one more.”  
  
“One… o-okay.”  
  
Yew didn’t want that Janne to leave.  
  
Yew didn’t want to lose that Janne that could smile without doubts at him, the Janne that would take his hand instead of pointing a rapier at him, the Janne that was overlooking the fact that his family had sent him into the streets when he was just a child.  
  
The Janne he’d had when they were back in Al-Khampis, the Janne he’d shared a room with and made plans to travel together with around Luxendarc, the Janne that usually patted his head on missions even if he was the leader, the Janne that usually got called out by Nikolai when he messed too much with him…  
  
The Janne that had disappeared that night in Martyr's Grove at the outskirts of Gathelatio.  
  
He’d missed him too much for his own good.  
  
So when Janne offered his hand to Yew, the latter held to it like a lifeline.  
  
Janne’s hand still burned on his waist and Yew’s palms were still sweaty. There was no music, so their steps were a bit clumsy as they tried to remake their previous movements. Without rhythm it was definitely harder to dance, and Yew stumbled a couple of times between his nervousness and lack of a rhythm to follow.  
  
Yet Janne’s grasp was firm enough and didn’t let him fall.  
  
He was surprised Janne wasn’t complaining about his strong grip, either. When they finished, with a last twirl and a bow from Janne’s part, Yew didn’t let go.  
  
Janne didn’t pull away either.  
  
“Stay.”  
  
“I can’t.”  
  
“Please, Janne.”  
  
“I can’t, Yew.”  
  
Yew wanted to cry.  
  
If Janne left now, he felt he’d never see him again like this. There would be no more truces, for the war was bigger than both of them, no more dances like the current one or silly moments as the ones they’d lived in Al-Khampis, no more nights together as Yew taught Janne the map of the stars of their old classes, no more sharing their food and poking fun of how much food both could eat, no more…  
  
Janne, his Janne, the one he wanted to spend a big time of his life with and had already assumed he’d do so, would be gone forever to be replaced by a more vicious one, one he’d have to cross blades with.  
  
One that angrily yelled in anger and blamed his family for his fate, and vowed himself to stop them.  
  
Even now, the words stung deep.  
  
The hot, salty drops were already falling down his face and splashing onto the white marble.  
  
“Please…”  
  
Janne only gripped his hand harder.  
  
It wasn’t a yes: it was a consolation gesture.  
  
He wouldn’t stay.  
  
“Come with me, Yew.”  
  
He couldn’t.

 _Ican'tIcan'tIcant._  
  
He wanted to but he shouldn’t - and he couldn’t: he was fighting for a cause, he had to rescue Lady Agnès from Kaiser Oblivion, he couldn’t leave his purpose nor abandon his companions or what he felt that was right to do to follow Janne. Something big was a stake, something he couldn’t turn a blind eye to.

Could he have abandoned everything when Janne had offered him his hand long ago?  
  
“I… I ca…” Yew couldn’t even speak properly, feeling he’d start whining if he opened his mouth.  
  
“I know. I’m in the same situation, too.”  
  
It sounded so prepared, automatic, as if calculated…  
  
“So…” A sniffle. “Is this goodbye?”  
  
Janne didn’t answer, tightening his grip again over Yew’s hand before letting go.  
  
And Yew didn’t want to let go.  
  
He reached out to him, but Janne stepped away shaking his head.  
  
“I have to go now.”  
  
Yew didn’t want to let go.  
  
“Janne…”  
  
Yew didn’t want to let go.  
  
“Sorry, Yew.”  
  
And he turned away and ran back inside, hiding between the crowd of nobles as Yew quickly dried his face with his sleeves and tried to follow him in a hurry and panic, the tailcoat falling behind him as he ran.  
  
He couldn’t call his name out loud and he was sure Janne wouldn’t stop if he called him anyways. He wouldn’t sic the guards on him, either.  
  
He had to shove a poor, confused lady aside to avoid missing Janne before he reached the garden.  
  
But when he stepped out after skipping like seven stairs on his way down, Janne was already gone.  
  
The gardens were empty aside from Yew himself, but Janne couldn’t be far.  
  
“Janne!” He called, noticing his need to cry grew bigger the more he called his name.  
  
_He won’t come back.  
  
He won’t come back. _

_Please come back.  
_  
“JANNE!”  
  
_He won’t come back._  
  
“JAAAAANNE!”  
  
His voice broke.  
  
He didn’t come back.  
  
Yew let his body fall down on the marble steps, wrapping his arms around his own legs and hiding his face behind them, shoulders shaking as he sobbed.  
  
The next time they saw each other they’d have to cross their swords again in a battle for their ideals… and the Janne he’d danced with, the one he hadn’t seen in months, would be gone, possibly forever by then.  
  
He felt the familiar tailcoat fall over his shoulders and he looked up, alarmed, but instead of teal eyes behind a mask as he’d hoped, it was a pair of red eyes the ones that were watching him.

Magnolia said nothing as she sat down.  
  
“I’m sure he cares for you as much as I do. He’s just horrible at showing it.”  
  
She definitely knew, and by the half-smile she was giving him, she was attempting to cheer him up a little bit.  
  
“So you saw…”  
  
“Luckily, it was only me the one who saw you two sneak out to the balcony. I was worried, so I kept an eye through the windows, and when I saw you two ran off my strap “accidentally” fell off and I had to go to the ladies’ room.” She winked mischievously at Yew who couldn’t help but chuckle at her antics. “That was a bit reckless, Yew…”  
  
Ah, here came the speech.  
  
“But I understand you care, and I saw he does too.”  
  
Oh. Well, that took a turn. Still…  
  
“… But he won’t come back, will he., Magnolia?”  
  
He felt Magnolia pulling him into a quick squeeze. What could she say? She couldn’t see the future, she couldn’t know if Janne would come back and stop hurting Yew (for once), she couldn’t say “I’m sure he will”, she couldn’t say anything at all.  
  
“If he does come back to you, I’ll punch him as a warning.”  
  
Well, except for that.  
  
It made Yew laugh a little bit as he tightened Janne’s coat around his form. It was still a little big for him, but he still pulled it around him as much as he could, feeling the familiar warmth offer him a bit of comfort.  
  
For a moment, Yew closed his eyes and imagined the three of them together, using one of Janne’s gigantic coats to warm up as Yew took them out to a clear in Gathelatio to study the astrological maps for a research,  
  
Maybe in a different world… Maybe, right now, he was enjoying a night out with them.

He felt a bit of envy.

 

* * *

 

Janne held his breath over the old Eternian oak. Yew had been too fast for him… but at least he was quick at climbing.  
  
It took him all his might to avoid going to Yew when he’d called his name, and it got worse when he saw Yew starting to whimper.  
  
He gripped the branch he was holding his weight against when he saw Yew crying.  
  
How much had it been since he last saw Yew break in public like that? Four years?  
  
Yew never cried in public, but Janne had been his confidant during in Al-Khampis, where some of the kids could be pretty cruel about his lineage… And even if Janne hated the Geneolgia line, he knew first-hand Yew wasn’t one to take advantage of his position for his tests and was a hard worker, so when they accused and mocked him… There appeared Janne with his sword and glare to scare them off. Yew, too, tried his best to shove them off when Janne got someone after him due to his "lack" of noble lineage.  
  
But words sometimes stung Yew, and Janne was offering his shoulder to him before he realized what he was doing.  
  
That was after meeting him, anyways. 

But past was past.  
  
… Yet Yew was still Yew. A crybaby, but still his Yew.  
  
Janne saw him sitting there and cursed himself: he couldn’t run away right now without being spotted by him and he couldn’t go to Yew without feeling worse.  
  
He should’ve jumped out of the fence when he’d had the chance and run away as fast as he could. So much for not looking back.  
  
Janne saw the Moon lady... Magnolia, approach with his coat from where he was. They talked, Yew laughed…  
  
She seemed good enough for Yew. She would do a good job where he couldn’t, he thought.  
  
He saw Yew curling up under his own coat, looking a bit better than when he had ran off.  
  
… It sounded nice to be there with them. With Yew. Finally stop being confused and be in peace where he felt he belonged, instead of fighting against his mind, desires and memories every single night.  
  
But he couldn’t.  
  
With a sigh and the thought that he’d have to be alone  for as long as the future allowed him, Janne closed his eyes and tried to ignore both warriors under the stairs until they were gone.  
  
Maybe in another world, he could be sitting there with them.  
  
But not in this one, apparently...

**Author's Note:**

> Phew, I had to change all the names due to the localization, so if you see a Jean or Yuu loose... my bad? Ack-
> 
> Writing in English when it's far from being my native language is a bit hard, but I like to think I somewhat improved. Hope you enjoyed this old piece, and hope Janne and Yew sleep warm and comfy tonight. Cheers!


End file.
